Golf Talk Live - Bernard Gallacher Transcript Segment 4

By

PETER KESSLER YOU'VE SAID THAT BRIAN BARNES, FELLOW SCOTSMAN, WONDERFUL PLAYER, ALWAYS PLAYED HIS BEST WHEN THERE WAS THE MOST ON THE LINE.BERNARD GALLACHER MHMMPETER KESSLER DO YOU THINK HE EVER PLAYED BETTER OVER THE COURSE OF A FULL DAY THEN HE DID IN BEATING NICKLAUS TWICE IN SINGLES, MORNING AND AFTERNOON IN THE '75 MATCHES?BERNARD GALLACHER NO. HE PLAYED GREAT. I MEAN, OUR SIDE WERE ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED AND THE AMERICAN PLAYERS COULDN'T BELIEVE IT, THAT BRIAN COULD BEAT THEIR BEST PLAYER. GOLFER SPEAKING SOFTLY IN BACKGROUND (MALE): IT'S A FIVE FOOTER THAT I HAD TO HOLE ON 15. IF HE'D WON THAT ONE AFTER WINNING 14, HIS (UNINTELLIGIBLE)PETER KESSLER NOW EVERYBODY HAD THE PIPE RIGHT BUT THEY ALL, YOU KNOW THE REPORTS USED TO SAY ALSO THAT HE WAS WEARING SHORTS THAT DAY. HOW GOOD A PLAYER WAS BRIAN AT HIS BEST?BERNARD GALLACHER BRIAN WA, BRIAN WAS A VERY STRAIGHT HITTER OFF THE TEE. A VERY L..., A VERY GOOD DRIVER AND HE HAD A VERY GOOD TOUCH ON THE GREEN. THE WEAKNESS BACK IN THOSE DAYS WAS HE WASN'T A GREAT CHIPPER. HE, FORTUNATELY HE DIDN'T MISS MANY GREENS BUT IF HE MISSED A GREEN HE HAD A PROBLEM GETTING UP AND DOWN, UNLESS HE HOLED A GOOD PUTT. THAT WAS THE ONE SORT OF, WE MIGHT CALL WEAKNESS IN HIS GAME, BUT HE, YOU ALWAYS HAD TO KICK HIM A BIT UP THE BACKSIDE, BRIAN, I ALWAYS MADE HIM HIT OFF IN FOURSOMES. I ALWAYS MADE HIM HIT OFF THE FIRST TEE BECAUSE IT'S THE MOMENT OF MOST, MOST, IT'S THE MOST STRESSFUL MOMENT IN FOURSOME PLAY, YOUR DRIVE GOING OFF THE FIRST TEE AND I KNOW THAT BRIAN, WHEN HE'S REALLY JUMPY, HITS, HE JUST ARROWS IT DOWN THE MIDDLE. HE'S ONE OF THESE GUYS THAT ARROWS IT DOWN THE MIDDLE. WHEN I FEEL JUMPY SOMETIMES I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S GOING, BUT WITH BRIAN, BRIAN NEEDS TO, AND YOU NEED TO BUILD UP THE PRESSURE WITH BRIAN. YOU NEED TO KEEP HIM GOING AND TO TELL HIM HOW IMPORTANT THE RYDER CUP IS AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR US TO WIN THIS MATCH, JUST TO KEEP HIM TENSE. SOMETIMES, FORGET, SOMETIMES HE'LL JUST SMOKE THAT PIPE AND TRY AND FIND A , A BEER TENT GOING AROUND THERE AND SNEAK A, A BEER GOING AROUND. AND WE, I HAD TO TRY AND STOP HIM DOING THIS (LAUGHS) AND, BUT TO, TO BEAT, I REMEMBER DISTINCTLY BRIAN BEATING JACK NICKLAUS AT LAUREL VALLEY, TWICE IN ONE DAY AND THAT WAS A GREAT MOMENT.PETER KESSLER ESPECIALLY WHEN JACK SAID TO HIM IN THE AFTERNOON MATCH ON THE FIRST TEE YOU BEAT ME ONCE BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN. TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCER SPEAKING SOFTLY IN BACKGROUND (MALE): 35:49 THRU THERE'S THE BALL AND BRIAN BARNES (UNINTELLIGIBLE)BERNARD GALLACHER WELL, AND YOU COULD, JACK WAS USUALLY RIGHT BUT HE GOT IT WRONG ON THIS OCCASION AND IT WAS A POOR RYDER CUP IN BRITISH TERMS BUT IT WAS A GREAT RYDER CUP FOR BRAIN BARNES.PETER KESSLER THIS IS ONE OF THOSE CHIPS THAT MAY HAVE WORKED OUT, WE CAN'T SEE QUITE WHERE THE FLAG IS, YOU'RE RIGHTBERNARD GALLACHER NO, YEAH, BUT YOU, YOU SEE, THAT, THAT HE HAD TO RELY ON A GOOD PUTT, BUT HE WAS A GOOD PUTTER BRIAN. GOOD AT THAT DISTANCE.... THERE YOU GO. THANKS FOR THE GAME, JACK (LAUGHS)PETER KESSLER WITH THE PIPE IN HIS MOUTH.BERNARD GALLACHER THAT'S RIGHT.PETER KESSLER YEAH, NICE TO SPEND THE DAY WITH YOU.BERNARD GALLACHER YEAHPETER KESSLER WHEN YOU PLAYED JACK IN SINGLES IN '77 AND WON THE FIRST FOUR HOLESBERNARD GALLACHER YEAHPETER KESSLER WERE YOU APPREHENSIVE BEFORE? I MEAN JACK NICKLAUS WAS STILL JACK NICKLAUS.BERNARD GALLACHER OH YEAH, I WAS REALLY NERVOUS. I HARDLY SLEPT THE NIGHT BEFORE AND THE FIRST HOLE, UNUSUAL FOR CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF, ROYAL LITHUM AND IT'S, IT'S, IT'S THE BRITISH OPEN THIS YEAR IS BEING PLAYED THERE. THE OPENING HOLE'S A PAR 3, A LONG PAR 3 LIKE OVER 200 YARDS. IT'S A VERY TOUGH OPENING HOLE AND YOU KNOW, JACK, YOU SHAKE HANDS WITH JACK AND HE'S GOT THESE VERY DEEP PENETRATING EYES AND I DIDN'T WANT TO LOOK AT JACK IN THE EYE, I WANTED TO, BECAUSE I FELT LIKE SAYING, YOU KNOW I'M, I FELT LIKE HE'S GOING TO SAY I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU TODAY OR SOMETHING AND YOU, YOU LOOK HIM IN THE EYE AND YOU AGREE WITH HIM SO, THAT WAS THE PETER KESSLER (LAUGHS)BERNARD GALLACHER LAST THING I WANTED TO DO AND I DIDN'T WANT TO LOOK AT HIS SWING, I LOOKED AWAY WHEN HE, WHEN HE SWUNG AND THEN, THEN I PLAYED THAT FIRST HOLE AND JACK CAME UP SHORT OF THE GREEN AND HE CHIPPED UP SIX FEET SHORT AND I HIT MY TEE SHOT ON THE GREEN AND I PUTTED DOWN TWO FEET AWAY. JACK, MISSES HIS SIX FOOT PUTT, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, HE'S ALREADY, HE CHIPPED UP SHORT OF THE GREEN TO ABOUT SIX FEET AND MISSED THE PUTT. IN THE MEANTIME HE'S GIVEN ME THIS TWO FOOTER ON THE FIRST GREEN (LAUGHS) AND I SAID TO MYSELF, IF JACK KNOWS HOW I FEEL HE WILL GIVE ME THAT PUTT. HE JUST COULDN'T POSSIBLY GIVE ME THIS PUTT BECAUSE I FEEL SO JUMPY, SO NERVOUS, AND THEN, SO I JUST PICK IT UP QUICK AS I COULD. HE MISSED HIS PUTT, AND THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, I CAN ONLY BE BEATEN NINE AND, NINE AND SEVEN.PETER KESSLER (LAUGHS)BERNARD GALLACHER THAT WAS THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT, BUT THEN JACK, THEN JACK HIT IT IN THE BUNKER THE SECOND TO GO OFF THE TEE AND THE THIRD OFF THE TEE AND I BIRDIED THE FOURTH AND I'M FOUR UP AGAINST JACK AND UH BUT THEN, THEN HE GETS IT BACK AND HE HOLES A GOOD PUTT AT 16. WE WERE ALL SQUARE PLAYING THE 17TH.PETER KESSLER WHY DON'T WE GO AHEAD AND PICK IT UP WITH THE SECOND SHOTS ON 17 THAT AFTERNOON WITH THE MATCH ALL SQUARE. LET'S CHECK THIS OUT. OKAY, WE'LL, WE'LL BE THERE IN JUST A MOMENT. BERNARD GALLACHER (LAUGHS) WELL IT'S A LONG WAY BACK. PETER KESSLER (UNINTELLIGIBLE) THAT'S RIGHT. AND HERE WE GO AND, AND YOU'VE ALREADY HIT TEE SHOTS AND THE MATCH, AS WE CAN SEE, IS ALL SQUARE AND HERE'S JACK HITTING HIS SECOND. TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCER SPEAKING SOFTLY IN BACKGROUND (MALE): GALLACHER (UNINTELLIGIBLE)BERNARD GALLACHER YEAH, I MEAN JACK'S ONLY GOT A SHORT IRON IN THERE BUT I THINK HE HITS IT IN THE BUNKER RIGHT.PETER KESSLER GOOD MEMORY BERNARD.BERNARD GALLACHER NO, HE JUST, WELL IT WAS GOING TOWARDS THE BUNKER. TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCER SPEAKING IN BACKGROUND (MALE): BIG CROWDS FOLLOW (UNINTELLIGIBLE)BERNARD GALLACHER MY, I HIT A GOOD SECOND SHOT BUT IT COMES UP SHORT OF THE GREEN. I'VE GOT THE MOST DREADFUL LONG PUTT, AND OF COURSE EVERYONE THINKS YOU'VE BEEN FOUR UP. JACK'S ALL SQUARE AGAINST JACK NICKLAUS, TWO HOLES TO PLAY. HUH... TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCER SPEAKING IN BACKGROUND (MALE): COME ON JACK I'VE GOT TWO (UNINTELLIGIBLE) ON YOUPETER KESSLER AND OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T HAVE YOUR PUTTER. THIS WAS A PUTTER THAT YOU BORROWED FOR THE DAY, WAS IT NOT?BERNARD GALLACHER SOMEBODY STOLE MY PUTTER ON THE WAY TO THE FIRST TEE THAT DAY. I HAD TO GO INTO THE PRO SHOP AND BUY A PUTTER ON THE WAY TO THE TEE. TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCER SPEAKING IN BACKGROUND (MALE): GALLACHER WITH A NEW PUTTER (UNINTELLIGIBLE)PETER KESSLER HOW DID IT WORK?BERNARD GALLACHER I'M NOW TRYING TO JUST GET THIS PUTT UP NEAR THE HOLE SOMEWHERE AND TRY TO STOP IT. THREE PUTT. IT GOES STRAIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. PETER KESSLER HOW FAR AWAY DO YOU SUPPOSE YOU WERE?BERNARD GALLACHER THEY RECKON THAT WAS THE LONGEST PUTT AT THAT TIME ON BRITISH TV. IT WAS OVER 80 FEET. PETER KESSLER JACK, AND JACK LOOKS LIKE NOTHING EVEN HAPPENED. IT'S SO, SO CHARACTERISTIC.BERNARD GALLACHER NO JACK, JACK'S GOT THE TEMPERAMENT YOU WANT. JACK MISSED THAT PUTT, INCIDENTALLY, SO I'M ONE UP PLAYING THE LAST AND YOU CAN SEE THE CROWDS HUGE. I GOT MY DRIVER INTO PLAY THERE AT THE LAST.PETER KESSLER WERE YOU AWARE OF THE CROWD AT A TIME LIKE THAT? THAT HAD TO BE AS LARGE A CROWD AS HAD EVER WATCHED YOU PLAY GOLF UP UNTIL THAT TIME. BERNARD GALLACHER THERE WERE HUGE CROWDS DOWN THAT 18TH AND I HIT QUITE A GOOD TEE SHOT AND THEN IT JUST FELL OFF THE GREEN ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE. I WAS A BIT UNLUCKY WITH THAT AND I WAS LEFT WITH A VERY DIFFICULT CHIP. JACK IN THE MEANTIME HAD HIT A 300 YARD DRIVE. JUST MISSED THE FAIRWAY TO THE LEFT (LAUGHS). JACK OVER CLUBS. HE'S DEAD ON LINE, BUT OVER CLUBS. IT GOES THROUGH THE GREEN. TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCER (MALE): AND THAT'S TOO HARD. MUCH TOO HARD.BERNARD GALLACHER WELL IT WASN'T MUCH TOO HARD BUT IT WAS JUST A HALF A CLUB TOO FAR. TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCER (MALE): SO BERNARD GALLACHER GOES UP ON THE MIGHTY JACK NICKLAUS WHO DOES NOT HAVE TOO IMPRESSIVE A RECORD IN SINGLES PLAY IN RYDER CUP MATCHES.PETER KESSLER TRICKY LITTLE CHIP YOU LEFT YOURSELF HERE TOO. BERNARD GALLACHER YEAH, IT WAS A CHIP I COULDN'T REALLY THROW ONTO THE GREEN. I HAD TO THROW INTO THE BANK A LITTLE BIT I THINK AND PETER KESSLER DID THIS ONE THROW A SCARE INTO YOU?BERNARD GALLACHER I THOUGHT HE'D HOLED IT, YEAH. HE CHIPS IT AND IT LOOKS GOOD. EXCEPTPETER KESSLER OF COURSE THEY ALWAYS SAID HE NEVER HAD A SHORT GAME. THAT WASN'T YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH JACK, WAS IT? BERNARD GALLACHER JACK HAD A GREAT SHORT GAME BUT HE DIDN'T NEED A SHORT GAME BECAUSE OF THE REST OF HIS GAME WAS SO GOOD. HE GAVE THE IMPRESSION HE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT, A GOOD SHORT GAME, BUT HE, HE LEFT THAT STONE DEAD. SO I'VE GOT THIS STINKING CHIP. I MEAN IT'S A CHIP YOU DON'T WANT.PETER KESSLER BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT TO GET IT UP IN THE AIR. YOU CAN'T JUST RUN IT ALONG THE GROUND AT THIS POINTBERNARD GALLACHER YEAH AND IT'S A FAIRLY TIGHT LIE AND SO I'M THINKING OF THROWING IT INTO THAT BANK AND JUST GETTING CHECKING... YUP. VERY GOOD CHIP.PETER KESSLER YOU HAD TO HAVE BEEN PRETTY HAPPY WITH THAT STROKE.BERNARD GALLACHER WELL I WASN'T HAPPY ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT JUST WENT ABOUT THREE FEET TOO FAR.PETER KESSLER YEAH I SAID THE STROKE, NOT THE BALL.BERNARD GALLACHER OH YEAH, SORRY. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. THE STROKE WAS OKAY.PETER KESSLER RIGHT. THAT HAD TO FEEL LIKE THE RIGHT WEIGHT WHEN YOU HIT IT.BERNARD GALLACHER BRIAN HUGGIT WAS THE CAPTAIN. THAT WAS BRIAN HUGGIT THERE. PETER KESSLER IS YOUR IMAGINATION RUNNING RIOT HERE OR ARE YOU PRETTY CALM? AS YOU GET READY TO STRIKE THAT INTO HOME.BERNARD GALLACHER WELL YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO BEAT JACK. IT'S A BIG MOMENT. I KNOW WE LOST THAT RYDER CUP BUT YOU CAN SEE THE CROWDS. YOU CAN'T LET THE CROWDS DOWN, AND YOU'RE FOUR UP AFTER FOUR HOLES AND YOU FEEL SO BAD IF YOU LOOSE THAT PARTICULAR MATCH, AND SO I WAS GLAD TO HANG ON AND GET A VICTORY (??). JACK, AND JACK WAS VERY GRACIOUS, I MEAN, GRACIOUS IN DEFEAT.PETER KESSLER WHAT DID HE SAY TO YOU?BERNARD GALLACHER JUST PUT YOUR, HE PUTS YOUR ARM AROUND YOU AND SAID GREAT MATCH, WELL PLAYED. I MEAN, GREAT, FROM THE GREAT JACK NICKLAUS.PETER KESSLER PRETTY GOOD.BERNARD GALLACHER YEAH, PRETTY GOOD.PETER KESSLER WHEN WE COME BACK LET'S FLASH FORWARD TO '91 AND WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THE CLOSE OF YOUR FIRST REIGN AS CAPTAIN OF THE EUROPEAN TEAM IN JUST A MOMENT. (MUSIC) (BREAK)

NEXT SEGMENT

Tags:

Contributions from writers and editors on the Golf Channel Digital team.